iOS 26.3 Beta 2 Coming Soon With These New Features
A few weeks after releasing the first iOS 26.3 Beta, Apple is preparing to roll out the second iteration — iOS 26.3 beta 2. While we're waiting to see what's new with this build (Apple doesn't share detailed changelogs), the company will likely improve features shipped with previous versions, along with bug fixes.
If Apple follows previous years' trends, iOS 26.3 should have fewer beta versions than iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2, as the final build is expected to roll out in late January. That said, among the new features, the company is preparing a few exclusive features for European users.
For example, Apple is readying an upgraded notification system, which will allow third-party smartwatches to receive notifications from an iPhone. While this feature has been limited to Apple Watch models so far, the company will give users the ability to choose a third-party smartwatch to get notifications instead. Also specific to Europe is a new NFC feature with an improved ability to share data over a Wi-Fi connection. While Apple hasn't explained how these functions are going to work, they're part of all the features Apple had to add for users in the EU.
iOS 26.3 still has other features in store
For the rest of us, Android to iPhone data transfer is going to be easier during the setup process. While both companies have proprietary apps to move data between them, starting with iOS 26.3 and Android 16, Apple is adding a native feature to transfer apps, messages, and photos more seamlessly. The companies say more data will be available for quick transfer in the future.
Besides that, a new wallpaper is also expected, just like 2025's Black Unity wallpaper. While Apple usually saves them for the Release Candidate version, new wallpapers have been a new feature of iteration X.3 in past iOS versions, as the company celebrates Black History Month in February.
As usual, we will let you know once we learn more about what's new with iOS 26.3 beta 2. Apple is also preparing to seed the second beta versions of iPadOS 26.3, macOS Tahoe 26.3, watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, and visionOS 26.3.